The Universal adaptation of the Dr. Seuss children’s book took in $70.7 million at the box office, according to early estimates from Hollywood.com. Final figures are due out on Monday.

Reviews of “The Lorax” had been high politicized, with some conservative critics questioning the movie’s anti-corporate theme, and some liberal reviewers attacking the feature for, in their view, not emphasizing strongly enough the original book’s environmental message. The movie was also taken to task for its numerous product tie-ins, including an ad for a Mazda SUV.

“‘The Lorax’ benefited from perfect timing during this box office boom time–year-to-date up 19%–and by giving families their first big animated movie-going experience of the year they cleaned up with a debut that was well beyond expectations,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Hollywood.com’s Box-Office Division, via email.

Christopher John Farley is the editorial director of the Wall Street Journal blogs. Follow him on Twitter at @cjfarley

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